Background

Pacific Bird Conservation (PBC) is classified as a Non Profit 501 (C) (3) in the State of Hawaii. Pacific Bird Conservation was formed in 2012 by Peter Luscomb and Herb Roberts as a way to coordinate and support the use of zoo expertise and resources in the conservation of Pacific birds. Pacific Bird Conservation evolved out of the Mariana Avifauna Conservation Program (MAC Program)The MAC program was started in 2004 when the Common Wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Department of Fish and Wildlife, contacted Peter Luscomb, general curator of the Honolulu Zoo and Herb Roberts curator at the Memphis Zoo to see if zoos would develop captive breeding programs for the endemic bird species found in CNMI. CNMI wanted their birds to be in captive programs as a safe guard against the potential establishment of brown treesnakes in the archipelago. After reviewing what resources and expertise zoos could provide CNMI, to aide the conservation of wildlife, it was felt that the techniques we have developed to capture, hold, acclimate and transport birds would be ideally suited to moving birds to new areas where the threat of the brown treesnake was minimal. It was felt that the best conservation action for any bird would be to maintain a wild population. The MAC program maintains captive populations of birds in US zoos as a safe guard in case of stochastic events but our focus is on maintaining wild populations of birds. Pacific Bird Conservation was started as a means to aide Pacific nations in the conservation of their native bird life by using the resources and expertise of zoos. PBC works with zoos to coordinate these efforts.

First release of Bridled White-eye on Sarigan. Dr. Thiery Works and Paul Radley moving BRWE from transport boxes to release box. 2009